


All is Fair in Love and War

by Strawberry_King



Category: Winx Club
Genre: 4kids canon, Bloom and stella are in love i dont make the rules, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Redemption, Trans Male Character, axel has wicked ptsd, begins in 3x07 Royal Behavior, did i write this because im gay and love baltor? Yes, emotional turbulance, everyone in this show needs some fuckin therapy, he needs a fuckin hug tbh, im here to simp for baltor and thats It, its what i grew up with dont judge me, me? a kinnie? yeah lmao, more relationship tags will be added later on ig, no beta reads we die like men, publishing first drafts and first drafts only everything is directly from my google docs fuck you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25542181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberry_King/pseuds/Strawberry_King
Summary: Axel, the prince of the world Bellicamore, knows all about war, and combat. He was practically raised on the battlefield. Fighting is what he knows. High school, however, isn't. After a two year absence from school, he comes back only to join a new fight, one against a man named Baltor. With this new fight, come new friendships when he's set to stay in the Winx Club's dorm. Now, Axel isn't sure which is more difficult; fighting Baltor, or forging his first real friendships.
Relationships: Aisha | Layla/Flora (Winx Club), Bloom/Sky (Winx Club), Bloom/Stella (Winx Club), Tecna/Timmy (Winx Club), Valtor | Baltor (Winx Club)/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 20





	1. Prologue / New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Im a kinnie and gay. That is all.  
> this chapter takes place mid episode of 3x07, Royal Behavior

War was one thing. Being stuck in a trench, locked in combat was something Princess Marcella of Bellicamore could handle. Sitting in the headmistress' office at Alfea, waiting for her mother to finalize the paperwork for her to go back to school wasn't. She hadn't been to school for years, not since she was taken out in her second year so she could lead her people into battle. Alfea hadn't changed too much since she'd been there, at least from the small amount of it that she'd seen. All her old classmates had already graduated, but she wasn't friends with any of them anyway.

"...arcella?" Marcella jolted out of her daze and snapped to attention, her gaze fixing on Headmistress Faragonda. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright. It's just been a while." She flashed a nervous smile. 

"Don't worry. You'll fit right in," Faragona said reassuringly. "Now, there's the matter of where you'll stay." 

"She should have a room. We might be a bit late, but she was signed up on time."

"Yes, she did have one, but because she was a no show, her room was used as a reassignment for a girl who needed it. And since that room is no longer available, there will need to be some changes."

"So she _will_ have a room?" Queen Valentina asked. 

"Yes. I have some girls in mind that I feel would be good for her to stay with, at least for the time being. They've proven their kindness time and time again, and I trust them to help her readjust to school life."

"So," Marcella piped up, "when do I start?"

~~~~

Marcella glanced around her new dorm nervously. It almost made her miss the battlefield. At least in battle, you know what people thought of you, unlike in high school. She felt Faragonda's gentle hand on her shoulder. 

"Unfortunately, there's not a spare bed at the moment. We should have one in a few days; do you mind sleeping on a couch until then?"

"Anything is better than a military cot," she replied with a shrug. 

"Alright then. The girls should be back from their classes in an hour or so. I'll leave you be to unpack until then." Faragona smiled. "And let me be the first to say how nice it is to have you back at school, Marcella." 

"Thanks. And please, call me Axel." 

Hearing the door shut as Faragonda left, Axel let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She glanced around the room. One big main room with a couch she assumed would be the one she'd sleep on, surrounded by smaller rooms with names on plaques beside the doors. "Bloom… Flora… Tecna… Musa… Stella… Layla… They sound like the usual priss types here. Great," Axel muttered. She put her bag down and flopped onto the couch. This was fine. She could handle this. It may have been years ago, but she survived two years of this school. She could survive another. She stretched out on the surprisingly comfortable couch and closed her eyes. Might as well try to catch a nap before she has to meet her new roommates.

The sound of the door opening and conversation roused Axel from her light sleep. She opened one eye just in time to see six girls filter in, looking exactly as she'd guessed from their names. All overly fashionable girly types. 

"Oh! You must be the new girl. Marcella of Bellicamore, right?" Asked the redhead. Axel guessed she was the leader of the group. 

"Yeah. Call me Axel, though." The princess gave the group a subtle but wary once over. 

"Cool! I'm Bloom." The seven students exchanged greetings and introductions. 

"Bellicamore- isn't there a war going on there right now?" The magenta haired girl, Tecna, asked.

"When ISN'T there a war going on there?" Axel responded.

“Sounds heavy,” The girl with the pigtails, Musa said. 

“Eh, just a part of life where I come from. Been in a few myself, too. Got about five years total under my belt.”

“So, you’ve been gone for a while, right?” Stella asked. “How long?”

“Around two years. I left right before I was supposed to start my third year.” Stella seemed familiar. Not enough to suggest they knew each other, but enough to give her name a bit of weight. “Hey… Aren’t you that freshman that blew up the potions lab?”

“You know about that?” Stella grinned sheepishly. “I was trying to make a new shade of pink. Didn’t really work.”

“Know about it? I was there! Lost like, a foot of hair in the explosion.” Axel grinned.

“Heh, sorry ‘bout that.” 

“Don’t worry about it. I prefer short hair much more anyway.” The princess shrugged again. “I’ve got a question for y’all. I’ve been at war for the past two years, right- So what all have I missed? The air around here is really tense, and I don’t remember there being a barrier around the school.” As upbeat as the girls were was as how solemn they became.

“Oof, that’s a long story. So, seventeen years ago, my planet, Sparks, was destroyed by the three ancestresses,” Bloom explained. Axel could remember the few years of the aftermath. She was very young at the time, but it would have been difficult to not feel how dark the feeling around anything related to the planet became. “When it was destroyed, I was given the power of the Dragon Fire. 

“Fast forward to a few years ago, when it turned out that the descendants of the three ancestresses, Icy, Darcy and Stormy went to Cloud Tower. They stole the Dragon Fire from me, and used it to summon the Army of Decay. In the end, we ended up defeating them, and they got sent away for reformation. 

“A few months later, this really bad guy -- Lord Darkkar -- kidnapped a bunch of pixies to find the pieces of this thing called the Codex so he could enter Realix and get the ‘Ultimate Power’, which I still have no idea what it is. 

“Darkkar was defeated, and then this year the witches were sent to Omega. They broke out with this guy Baltor, and now they’re taking all the magic from every world they go to.”

“Damn. Sounds like they really need some sense smacked into ‘em,” Axel said. 

“Yeah. We’ve fought Baltor once already, and he’s really strong.”

“He took over the wills of my world’s Mermaid Guard, and turned them into his minions, and blinded me when we confronted him,” Layla added. Axel raised an eyebrow and nudged up his glasses.

“Really? You seem fine now.” 

“I was able to break the spell with my enchantix. If I hadn’t… I don’t even want to think about that.”

“ _ANYWAY_ , enough of this heavy battle talk! Let me see your schedule!” Stella interjected. “Come oooon, hand it over!” She didn’t wait for Axel to respond before she grabbed the class schedule off the couch next to him. “Oh! You’ve got Wizgiz’s class with me and Bloom, and Palladium with all six of us! Nice!”

“Y’know, Axel, you seem really familiar, but I can’t put my finger on it,” Flora said. “Are you sure you’ve been gone for so long?”

“Well, I did show up here for like, I dunno, a week last year? They wanted me to teach a class on hand to hand combat,” she answered. “I don’t know if any of you were there, but then again, I don’t really remember anyone I taught.”

“Oh. Alright, then. It’s still nice to meet you.” 

“You said you were gone for several years, right? How old are you, exactly?” Tecna asked.

“Twenty one, in a little over a week.” She shrugged. “Not really a big deal.”

“Really? We gotta celebrate!” Musa exclaimed.

“... Why do you care so much?”

“Because like it or not,” Stella said, not giving Musa a chance to answer, “you’re out friend now.” 

“Oh…” For some reason, Axel didn’t feel happy about it. In reality, she almost felt sick. A lifetime of loneliness, then suddenly this group of teenagers comes out of nowhere and all but adopts her? It was…

“Axel? Are you okay, sweetie?” Flora asked.

“... Overwhelmed.” She responded. “People don’t really… Don’t really like me. Ever. They always end up scared of me and I don’t know why any now you guys show up and you’re being so friendly to me and I don’t know how to handle this and I just-” The words tumbled out without thought.

“Hey, don’t worry. If you want, we could leave you alone for a while,” the flower fairy offered. Axel looked up at her gratefully.

“I don’t want to offend y’all, but that would be great,” she mumbled.

“Don’t worry about it. I know exactly how you feel,” Layla said. “You get used to them, I promise.” 

The girls filtered out into their respective rooms, leaving Axel alone to calm down and digest all the information she’d been given. This felt like it was going to be a long year, but strangely… not as bad as she’d initially expected.


	2. Chapter 1 - Don't Say Fuck At Alfea

“So let me get this straight -- Y’all have to reorganize the ENTIRE restricted section just because you left school to help out on Andros? That’s bullshit,” Axel said, arms crossed. She looked at the suddenly alarmed looks on the Winx’s faces and raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Ah, Miss Marcella. I had hoped your vocabulary had been cleaned up some while you were away.” Axel jumped, and slowly turned with a sheepish grin on her face. 

“Griselda, so nice to see you- I don’t suppose you’d be willing to ignore what you just heard, would you?” 

“I’ll let you off with a warning this once, but if I hear you speaking like that again, it’ll be detention.” Griselda turned and started to walk away.

“Hey, you guys wanted to go to some party, but can’t until you finish with the books right..?” Axel grinned mischievously. Bloom nodded.

“Yeah, but what does that have to do with-”

“ **_FUCK_ ** !!!” 

~~~

“We appreciate the help, but you really didn’t have to go and get yourself into trouble like that.” Bloom chided. Axel shrugged with a grin.

“Come on, you gotta admit the look on Griselda’s face was priceless!” 

“She was so shocked!” Stella laughed. “Like, ‘I can’t believe anyone would say the fuck word in the presence of my innocent ears’!” Her impression of the queen of detention had everyone laughing and brightened up the mood in the room significantly. The blonde princess pulled a book from one of the many stacks littering the ground and flopped into a chair, opening it to a random page and just barely skimming it.

“With this pile of books, and at the rate we’re going, we’ll be here forever,” Flora sighed.

“Actually, Flora,” Tecna responded, “according to my calculations, at this rate we should be done by late Sunday.”

“Well, guess the Eraklyon anniversary party’s a bust,” Musa said.

“Trés tragic.” Layla rolled her eyes at Stella and pulled the book from her hands and closed it.

“Come  _ on _ , girls. Let’s not give up. Saturday is Bloom’s party, and I for one  _ don’t _ intend on letting her miss it.”

“But Saturday is tomorrow!” Stella whined. “It’ll be impossible to get it all done by tomorrow without using magic.  _ Unless… _ ” Everyone (minus Stella) shared a look that all but screamed ‘oh no’. 

“Unless  _ what _ ?” Musa asked warily.

“Unless it’s not our magic we use!”

“Care to elaborate on that?” Axel asked, one short eyebrow raised.

“If a  _ book  _ were to use its magic, that wouldn’t be breaking Griselda’s rules!” She replied proudly.

“I predict that failure is highly probable,” objected Digit.

“I’d say it’s more than probable; it’s all but certain.”

“And besides,” interjected Layla, “it would still be cheating. Just forget it, Stella.”

“Really it’s just stupid,” Axel said, shrugging. Stella leaned on her arm, propping her head up with one hand. She glanced around with a cunning smirk, very obviously disregarding everyone’s grievances.

“The library catalog said that the blue book had a wish granting genie in it, so all we have to do is open the book. How can that be cheating?” She grabbed the nearest blue book and flipped through the pages before opening it. 

“Wait, that might be the wrong book-” Axel tried to warn, but it was too late. Claws and one big eye started to erupt from the pages.

“ _ Who dares disturb my rest?! _ ” It roared. Stella yelped and slammed it shut. 

“Oops, must’ve read that wrong…” She said sheepishly. Suddenly, the book flew from her hands, glowing like a light. “Hey, this book’s a live one!” Stella cried.

It bounced a few times, before falling open on the ground. The monster that had tried to come out of it grew from the pages once again, this time it was furious, and a whole lot bigger.

“Griselda or no Griselda, we’re gonna have to use magic now!” Musa snapped as everyone sprung into action.

“Layla, you and the pixies make sure no teachers are coming!” Bloom ordered.

“Sure thing. Come on you guys!” 

“Okay girls,” Bloom said, turning her attention to everyone else. “Let’s go!” They all nodded and launched into their transformations. “The first thing we need to do is protect all these books!” Tecna and Musa shot each other a look before flying up into the air, back to back. 

“We’re on it!” Tecna called. Sigils resembling a music staff made of clean lines covered the bookshelves. 

“Let me help!” Axel said. “I’m not the best at defense, but I can add a little extra protection to the more fragile books.” Musa nodded.

“Knock yourself out.”

“Emotional wall!” Small hearts appeared and formed a tight, chain link-like fence around some of the books. Axel tried to expand the barrier to cover some more of the shelves, but to no avail. She just had to accept that was her limit. 

“It looks mad!” Yelped Stella.

“It  _ is _ mad!” Bloom responded. The monster roared again. It looked like it was about to attack. Bloom launched a fireball at it, hitting it directly in the side. She threw another, but the second one only glanced off of it, then hit the barrier protecting the books. It was jostled by the impact, but seemed to be alright. The wiggling didn’t go unnoticed by the monster, who then fired a blast at Stella, flinging her back into the barrier. As she tried to get up, a whole shelf of books fell down on her, pinning her down. 

“Stella and books, it’s like oil and water,” quipped Musa. 

“Vine wrap!” Shouted Flora. Vines grew up from the ground and quickly encased most of the monster. Unable to move, it thrashed in place. Axel flew up over it.

“Warrior’s blade!” An intricate energy sword formed in her hands. She forced her fairy wings still, letting gravity do the work for her as she stabbed the monster and jumped back, leaving the sword embedded in its flesh. “It’s almost down!”

“Book monster, become a book worm!” Bloom yelled, launching one last blast at the monster. A large plume of smoke covered it as soon as the blast made contact. The smoke quickly dissipated, leaving a football sized, one eyed worm where the monster had been. It tried to flee, but Stella, freed from her book pile, slammed the book it had come out of closed over it. 

“All right, it’s over,” sighed Musa.

“Unfortunately for us, it’s more like it’s just beginning.” Bloom replied with a shrug and a shake of her head. Axel ran a hand through her hair.

“Don’t take any more gambles like that, okay Stella? We can’t really waste any time here.”

~~~

“We’re doing so well Bloom, we might just make that party, after all!” Flora said cheerfully, her arms full of books. 

“Are you getting excited?” Chatta asked.

“Yeah, but if I do get to go, I think I’ll be intimidated by all the royal ceremony stuff!

“It’s really not that hard,” Axel said, “If  _ I _ can handle that kind of thing, I know  _ you _ can.” 

“You are going to get to go, and it’s going to be  _ majorly _ romantic, and wonderfully fabulous!”

“Stella, your optimism is inspiring,” said Tecna.

“Sky will bring you up to one of the royal palace balconies overlooking the courtyard,” she started.

“I’m getting goosebumps,” Amore said dreamily.

“Down below, the masses will be jockeying to see better! The press will be fighting for that front page shot, and everyone’s eyes will be on you!” Stella finished, posing as if she were holding some unseen prince’s hands.

“Oh boy, Stella, now I’m even more nervous than before! You guys forget, I grew up in Gardenia.” Layla tossed a comforting arm around her shoulders.

“But  _ we _ didn’t. We’re gonna help you figure this out.”

“Hell yeah!” Axel chimed. “We wouldn’t just leave ya hangin’ like this!”\

“Axel, Layla, and I will teach you how to be a perfect princess in no time at all!” Stella grinned, placing her hand on Bloom’s other shoulder.

“I appreciate it, but something tells me you have a lot more work to do than you realize.” She let out a small laugh. 

“This is going to be fun!” Stella shelved a small stack of books and stood up straight, clapping her hands together loudly and making everyone, particularly Axel, jump. "Alright Bloom, your princess lessons start now! Let's start with the royal walk." She grinned and picked up a few more books, then placed them on her, Axel, and Layla's heads. "Don't let them fall! It's all about posture and bearing!" As the trio started to walk to demonstrate for Bloom, she continued to explain. “This might seem simple, but first impressions are formed by how you walk, how you sip, and how you do the royal bow.” 

“Think you can handle it?” Axel asked jokingly, poking Bloom with her elbow. 

“Yeah, I think.” 

“Come on, you gotta have more confidence than that!” Layla encouraged. Bloom took a breath and clenched her fists.

“I can do this!” 

“Oh yeah, you’re gonna do great.” Axel grinned and took a book off her head, putting it on Bloom’s. “You try. Walk to the other side of the room without letting the book fall.”

“I’ll try…” Bloom started to walk as directed, but as she got closer to the other side of the room, her steps became increasingly hesitant and uneven, eventually leading the book to fall off her head.

“Don’t worry about it, Bloom! Give it another try,” said Stella. “Nobody gets it on the first shot.” Bloom shook her head and picked the book back up.

“Can we try something else and come back to this? I think I need to calm my nerves before I go for it again.” 

“Yeah, no problem! I’ve got LOADS of other ideas to try!” Stella turned. “Hey Flora, could you make some tea? We’re gonna need it.” 

“Sure. Do you have any particular kind in mind?”

“Nope! Just work your magic!” Stella glanced over at Axel. “Flora makes the best tea. Makes sense though, since she’s from Linphea and all. Alright, I need you to make two stacks of books, one tall enough to sit on, and the other tall enough to be like, I dunno, a table or something.”

“Are  _ you _ gonna do anything?” Axel asked.

“ _ I’m _ gonna prepare our princess-in-training over here. That’s an important job!”

“Yeah, if by ‘preparing’ you mean ‘flirting with’,” Axel muttered under her breath. Nonetheless, she still did as she was asked. Shortly after the stacks were formed, Flora returned with the tea.

“Be careful, it’s really hot.” Stella nodded and sat Bloom down on the smaller stack of books. She poured a cup of tea and handed it to her. 

“On average, a princess only spills one drop of tea per one thousand cups sipped.” Stella said. Bloom blinked in surprise, then turned over her saucer, letting the tea she’d spilled into it splash to the ground. That got a laugh from her ‘instructors’ and a groan from Tune. 

“You wanna try something else? It  _ is _ just a party, I doubt there’ll be tea there.” Axel offered.

“Yeah, that would be great. And you’re probably right, especially since it’s happening at night.” 

“In that case, let’s work on your bow.” Stella pulled Bloom to her feet and stood next to her. “Now, the royal bow is harder than it seems. Toes together, bend at the waist in a two-step process,” she instructed. The blonde bowed deeply in a demonstration. Bloom smiled and then attempted her own bow. She almost had it, until she lost her balance and fell over. 

“You almost had it!” Layla said. 

“Don’t think so hard about it, Bloom. In fact, don’t even think at all! That’s what keeps tripping you up on everything!” Axel crossed her arms. “Give it another try, but don’t think this time.” Bloom gave her a nervous look, then nodded. She bowed once more, this time successfully. She beamed.

“There ya go! You’ve so got this, Bloom!” Stella exclaimed happily. “Now try the walk again!”

“Remember -- Don’t think.”

“Alright, here I go-” Placing a book on her head again, Bloom took a breath and walked across the room. The book wobbled a bit, but didn’t fall. “I did it!”

“And it was PERFECT!” Stella squealed.

“It really was,” added Layla.

“Ten out of ten. You’re gonna do great out there, kid.” 

“Alright, now that that’s out of the way, can you guys actually help out now?” Musa asked. “There’s still a ton of books here we need to reshelf.” 

~~~

The books were finally all shelved. Most of the Winx were on the floor, either asleep or coming real close. Bloom and Stella stood off to the side, having resumed their princess lessons.

“Go for it!” Stella chirped.

“Good  _ moor-ning _ your majesty,” Bloom recited in an exaggerated accent. 

“Perfect walk, good bow, now all you have left to do is master the royal look.”

“Huh?”

“It’s what separates the palace raised from the posers.” Stella explained. “Now, eyes narrowed, chin up, and eyebrows arched. Now slightly flare your nostrils…”

“How’s this?” Bloom asked. Stella turned to see her and let out a yelp of surprise. Axel’s eyes opened sleepily. She took one look, closed them again, and turned over on the floor.

“That ain’t it, honey,” She mumbled. Bloom relaxed her face and let out a small disappointed groan. 

“Don’t worry about that part. You’ll do fine with everything else,” Stella said, albeit a bit too quickly.

“Are you sure?”

“You’ve got this. And anyone who says otherwise can get lost!”

“Alright, then. I’m ready for this!” 


	3. Chapter 2 - You Ever Cry in a Ross Dressing Room?

The dorm buzzed with excitement. With only a few hours before the party, all six teenage girls flitted between the 3 bedrooms, packing their outfits and making sure everything was in place. Axel, however, stayed on the couch, deep in thought. 

"Aren't you going to get ready?" Stella's question snapped Axel out of thought. 

"Y-Yeah, I just…" Trailing off, Axel threw a glance at the dress Stella was holding. 

"What? Do you not have a dress or something?" 

"My planet doesn't really _do_ dresses. Fancy clothes at all, really. We do ceremonial armor… which I… forgot to bring. It's fine, I don't really think I was gonna go anyway…" Change. The subject. Now. Axel. " _Isthatwhatyou'regonnawearitlooksreallyneatyoushouldshowitoff-_ "

"Like a fashion show? Axel, you're a genius! GIRLS!" Stella called into the rest of the dorm, "COME ON, WE'RE DOING A FASHION SHOW FOR AXEL!" Her attention snapped back to Axel. "Wait, did you say you weren't going?" 

"Don't worry about that," Axel said, waving a hand nonchalantly, "go get dressed. I wanna see!"

"Alright…" Stella squinted. "But we're talking about this afterwards." 

Axel gave her a placating grin and leaned back into the couch, hoping that she'd just forget it and lose herself in the fashion show. It wouldn't be out of character for her. 

Ten minutes later, the girls were all in their dresses, filling the room with the sound of swishing skirts. Axel grinned and took in the sight, having not really seen clothing like this before. Sure, Bellicamore had fashion, but nothing as formal and intricate as this. It was beautiful, except…

"Stella, I'm sorry, I know fashion is your thing, but that dress is _not_ working for you." 

"What?!" Stella blinked, taken aback by Axel's remark. "What's wrong with it?"

"... A lot. The one weird sleeve, the ruffles at the bottom of the skirt, and your waistline looks FUCKED up." Axel cringed as soon as the words were spoken. Everyone had fallen silent. That had to have been too blunt. It had to have been really rude. They were going to leave now and they were going to hate-

"... Well. That was. A lot to take in. Do you know what this means?" Stella clenched her fists, a fire in her eye. She grinned. " _Emergency shopping trip!!!"_

"Really, Stella? Right now?" Musa groaned. 

"Axel, you set her off. Now we're never going to get to leave," Layla said with a lighthearted roll of her eyes. 

"Now, now, Layla. You should know better. I _never_ skip a party I've RSVP-ed to. It looks bad and I never look bad." Stella grabbed Axel by the arm. "Come on, since you pointed out the dress, you're helping me find a new one. _And don't think I forgot what you said earlier._ " 

"Does that mean we're off the hook?" Tecna asked. 

"Knowing Stella, definitely not," Flora replied. 

"Right you are, Flora!" Stella said, turning on her heel to face them. "Everyone get dressed, we only have a few hours and Magix has a LOT of stores to go through! We're not just looking for me, we're looking for a dress for Axel, too!"

“But-”

“No buts!” Stella clapped her hands once, and started to herd everyone back into their rooms to change. “You wait here, we’re leaving in five minutes.” 

Axel had no choice but to stay on the couch and pout. At least a little more thinking could be done before Stella dragged everyone into Magix.

~~~

“Try blue. Like a dusty, silvery blue.” Axel gave Stella a once over before turning back to the dress catalogue.

“Axel, you had better not mean denim because if you mean denim there is no amount of being fashion challenged that can save-”

“Shush it. I found something.” Not looking up, Axel pointed at the platform in the middle of the room. “Go stand over there. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

“If it’s denim I’m so gonna kill you,” Stella muttered. Nonetheless, she did as she was told. Axel selected the dress and looked up to see it materialize. Stella looked at herself in the mirror, twisting this way and that to see different angles. She raised her eyebrows as she looked at herself and eventually gave an approving nod. “This is really good, actually. I like it!” Stella crossed her arms. “And here I thought you were fashion challenged, Axel. Good find!”

Axel chuckled sheepishly.

“Y-yeah, well… y’know. I’m good with colors ‘n stuff. Figured the blue would pair nicely with your hair and warm complexion.”

“Well, you figured right!” Stella stepped off the platform and approached Axel. Her smile suddenly turned devious. Before Axel could jump away, Stella started to shove the fairy towards the platform. “Now it’s your turn!”

“Wait- Stella-” 

“Come on, you’re going to this party whether you like it or not!”

“It’s not that, it’s just _WILLYOUSTOPSHOVINGME-_ ” Stella took a step away, her hands raised in mock surrender. She blinked and tilted her head, an indication for Axel to continue. “Thank you.” Axel let out a quick breath, suddenly hesitant. All six Winx were watching, silent, waiting for Axel’s next words. “I… I…” Deep breath in, and out. It was now or never. Axel knew the nerve to say it wouldn’t come back. “I think I might be… a guy.” 

Blood pounded in his ears. Axel fought the urge to peek over his glasses, to just get a look at their emotions. The silence was deafening. “I-I’m sorry forget I said anything I’m gonna go back to the dorm now-”

Axel all but ran to the door, fighting back tears. _Don’t you go crying now, you big baby,_ he thought. A hand latching onto his sweater sleeve stopped him.

“Axel, wait!” He turned, slowly, to see Flora holding his sleeve, and the rest of the Winx mid rush to do the same. “Don’t go, please. You just surprised us, that’s all.”

“Yeah. We didn’t mean to scare you like that. Just didn’t know what to say,” said Bloom.

“I now pronouns you he and him! Aaaand in that case, we need to get another catalogue. We need suits!” Stella chimed. “Oh- Wait- Should _probably_ find where this dress is, first.” 

“This dress is found at WINGS AND LACE,” the catalogue droned. 

“Oh! I know where that is. It’s only a few blocks away.” Stella snapped the catalogue shut. “Don’t need to worry about that, then. I’ll be right back! Still need that suit catalogue!”

Stella dashed off, the door to the dressing room slamming behind her. Axel shifted his weight nervously. 

“You’re really okay…? With- With me, I mean-” 

“Axel, look at us.” Bloom smiled gently. “Take your glasses off.” Wordlessly, he pulled his glasses down his nose so he could see his friends. Really see them. Their auras were all the same color -- deep rose pink. Love. “Did you really think you were the only trans person in this room?” 

“Bloom and I both are,” Tecna added. “She’s a trans woman, I’m nonbinary. There’s no need to worry about what we think. I’ll help you find a binder, if you want.”

“Y…” Axel’s face crumpled. Fat tears started pouring down his face. “YOU GUYYSSSSS-!” He all but flopped onto his friends, trying to hug them all at once. The door burst open.

“I got the-! Why is Axel crying…?” Stella stood in the doorway, looking completely lost.

“I LUUUB YOU GUYSHH!” Axel’s words were muddled, both by his cheek being squashed on Bloom’s shoulder and by the tears. He reached out an arm towards Stella and made grabby hands, ushering her into the hug. Stella paused, then burst out laughing and joined the hug. 

A few minutes later, Axel sat back on the floor, wiping at his face with his sweater sleeve. 

“Sorry, Bloom. Got your shoulder all wet.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She grinned and let out a soft laugh. “What are friends for if not to drench in tears sometimes?”

“Hello? There’s still a problem here!” Stella pointed a finger at Axel. “You _still_ don’t have an outfit! Go on, get up there. I’ll start looking through the catalogue.”

Axel grinned and gave his eyes one last wipe. “Alright, alright, no need to twist my arm.” He shakily got to his feet and got up onto the platform. Multiple suits flashed on and off of his body, too fast for him to get a good look. 

“How do you expect to see anything if you go that fast?” Musa asked. 

“We don’t have a lot of time here, Musa! Gotta work with what I got and if that means fast suits it means fast suits!” Stella’s eyes rapidly flicked up at Axel and down at the catalogue. “OH MY GOSH I THINK THIS IS IT!” Axel winced and scrunched his eyes shut. Slowly he cracked one eye open and glanced at himself in the mirror. He looked… incredible. The suit was a dark rose color, with a black shirt and a bow tie. Axel squinted at the suit for a moment. He pulled the tie loose and unbuttoned the top button of the shirt. It was...

“ _Perfect_ ,” They all said, all at the same time.

Seemed Axel would be going to the party on Eraklyon after all.

~~~

Axel smiled to himself on the ship. Coming back to Alfea had to have been the best thing that had ever happened to him. It had been years since he’d had any sort of friend, and then it had ended… badly, to say the least. His grin faltered at the memory before he literally shook away the thought. No use dwelling on the past. 

“You know you don’t have to wear that yet, right? We’re still a while away from Eraklyon,” Musa said. 

“I like it,” Axel responded. “I’ve never had clothes like this. It feels so… _fancy_.” 

“Oh right, you said something about some kind of armor or something earlier? What’s all that about?” 

“So, the trends usually change with each ruler, but it’s almost always got some kind of colored metal or jewels enlaid in it. Garnets are really popular right now. I don’t know why; my mom doesn’t even like garnets. Then again, she doesn’t seem to like anything,” he muttered.

“What’s she like, anyway? You never talk about her,” Layla said. Axel let out a soft groan and leaned back, bonking his head on the wall.

“GOD she sucks. Like she is the WOOORST.” He shook his head. “If I weren’t the prince and the only heir, I’d get the fuck outta dodge faster than you can say gone.”

“Do you have a dad you can go to? I stayed with mine when my parents split; I just could _not_ be around my mom,” added Stella.

“Nope. Never had a dad.” Axel shrugged. “It’s whatever, though. I’m already an adult, so she doesn’t really have too much hold over me. Not as much as when I was a kid, at least. And knowing her, she’ll be out of the picture soon enough anyway. Crazy, warmongering- … Anyway. Let’s forget all that. We’re going to a party! This is gonna be fun!” Layla and Stella shared a concerned look.

“How are you just… _okay_ with all of that?” Asked Layla.

“Just my lot in life. I’ve dealt with it forever, so it doesn’t really bother me anymore.”

“But that’s not okay! It’s not okay at all!” Exclaimed Stella.

“You don’t think I know that?” Axel crossed his arms. “Look. It’s just how shit is for me. Sure, I’m not fine, but I’m still here. I’m alive. And unless one of these days someone _actually_ manages to successfully assassinate me, I’m sticking around for a good while.”

“ _ASSASSINATE-?!_ ” 

“Keep! It! Down!” Musa whisper-yelled. “Bloom is trying to get some sleep before we get there. She doesn't need to get woken up.”

“Sorry, Musa. We’ll be quiet.” Axel gave her a thumbs up. Once Musa left, he turned his attention back to Stella and Layla. “Yeah, assassination. They’ve tried to get me a few times already. Got a big scar on my back from one in particular. It doesn’t matter. As long as I’m still here, it doesn’t matter.” 

Stella opened her mouth to say something else, but Axel silenced her with a look. He wanted to drop the subject, and he made it clear. “So… What do you really do at parties?”

“Have you never been to one?” Stella asked.

“I have, just not with friends.”

“Just stay with us, Axel. Don’t worry, I know what it’s like. I was in your place not too long ago,” said Layla.

“Really? But you’re so confident! How do you do it?”

“You just need to forget anyone’s watching. Focus on yourself, you know? It gets easier with time.”

“I dunno if I could do that… But it does help to have friends for once.” Axel beamed at them. He took off his glasses and slipped them into his jacket pocket. Any longer wearing them and the exertion of blocking out the sight of people’s emotions would start to strain his eyes. 

Bloom began to toss and turn in her sleep. She mumbled incoherently, a bit of sweat starting to bead on her forehead. Layla slipped over to the bench Bloom was laying on and held onto her, if only so Bloom wouldn’t throw herself onto the floor. 

“Bloom- Hey, come on, wake up,” she said, gently shaking her. Bloom sat up, half asleep. Suddenly, her eyes shot open. 

“It can’t be true! There has to be a way!” She cried.

“You were dreaming. It’s okay,” Layla said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. The touch seemed to pull Bloom back into the present.

“Woah, that was seriously scary.” 

“You okay, Bloom?” Axel asked.

“She’s just nervous about Sky’s party,” Stella said, “I mean, it’s not every day your boyfriend introduces you to a whole planet of people. _Plus_ you’ll be spending lots of quality time with his royal parents.”

“Well, I am worried about what they’ll think of me. I mean, what if they don’t like me?” Bloom looked up at Stella, a nervous look on her face. 

“They’re going to love you, Bloom,” said Sky, walking over and pulling her to her feet. “Just like I do.” He pulled her into a hug, which she happily leaned into.

“Oh, that is so sweet,” Flora sighed. A bright flash of light came from outside the ship. Axel squinted; it nearly blinded him.

“What is _that_?” gasped Timmy.

“Don’t worry, it’s just part of the enchanted fireworks show that’s used to welcome guests,” Sky replied. 

“Oh, dope!” Axel watched the fireworks form different shapes and insignias with their embers. 

“This is gonna be the best party ever thrown, anywhere!” Brandom chimed as he turned in his seat to look back at everyone.

“I heard there’s gonna be a realm-famous orchestra!” said Musa.

“And _I_ heard there’s gonna be a cake that’s like, fifty feet high!” Stella responded.

“Promise me you guys will stay with me the whole time?” Bloom asked, looking between her friends. 

“You’ll manage just fine without us!” Stella decreed. “You have princess skills now, remember?” That set off a round of giggles in the Winx.

“Well,” Bloom waved her hand casually, “maybe a couple, thanks to you guys!” 

“We’re coming in for a landing!” Timmy announced.

The party had begun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!! I have a winx tumblr now, @4kidstv . follow for exclusive art, some shitposts, and more of me simping over valtor !  
> and if you follow me, please follow my friends @charrmix and @dyamond-on-ice !
> 
> Sorry this took so long ^_^""


	4. Chapter 3 - The Obligatory Gay Dancing Episode

The courtyard shone with lights, full of partygoers drinking, dancing, having a good time. Before leaving the ship, the Winx banished the boys to wait outside so they could change into their dresses. Axel leaned against the side of the ship and took a breath. The air was nice. Warm, but with a cool breeze passing by every few seconds. He wondered if the weather was forced, or if the timing was just perfect.

“Hey, Axel…” Sky started. Axel jumped; he hadn’t even noticed Sky come hear him. “You aren’t gonna try and hit on Bloom or anything, right? I mean you live with her and all, and I  _ am _ announcing to the world she’s my girlfriend-”

“Sky I’m fucking gay.” Axel said flatly. Sky almost let out a sigh of relief, before Axel held up a hand and silenced him. “But even if I wasn’t, you should put more trust in her. If you’re this insecure about yourself and your relationship, maybe you don’t need to be in one.” Sky glared at Axel. He shrugged. “I get it, you’re upsetti spaghetti. All those big important prettyboys like you get like that whenever you’re called out on your failing relationship. Don’t blame me because you don’t know how to trust your girlfriend.” 

Before either of them could say anything else, the ship door opened and released the winx, evaporating the slightly tense air. Axel grinned when he saw his friends. They all looked incredible.

“Alright, last minute checks!” Stella crowed. She surveyed each of them. “Bloom, you have lipstick on your teeth. Axel, your nose ring is crooked. Everyone else, you’re perfect.” She beamed. “Let’s do this!”

As they walked, Axel caught glimpses of the dance floor, the socialites, and most importantly, an excellent looking buffet table.

“Everything about Eraklyon is beautiful!” Bloom gushed. Axel nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, it really is nice.” 

“Their royal majesties, King Wynetka and Queen Limli of Romulea.” The herald announced. “His royal highness, King Radius, with Countess Cassandra and Princess Chimera.”

“My father’s here, with his so called ‘fiancee’,” Stella muttered, “I think I’ll go have a word with him about how they gave my title away to that scheming Chimera!” She started to walk away, only to be stopped by Bloom grabbing her shoulder.

“Wait, Stella. I’m sure Cassandra still has your father under her spell, and in that case, talking to them is just going to cause more trouble.”

“I don’t care!” Stella snapped. “I’m  _ not _ going to let Cassandra keep controlling my father like that!” She stormed off. Flora and Tecna hurried towards her, each grabbing an arm.

“Stella, wait!”

“Don’t be foolish.”

“ _ I _ am the princess of Solaria! And that  _ wannabe _ took my place!”

“Is there a problem, miss?” A guard, tall and menacing, stood in front of her. Stella turned her back to him and crossed her arms, pouting. 

“Hey, no worries, guard guy,” Layla said, trying to smooth things over, “Our friend here is just joking around.” She, Tecna, and Flora dragged Stella back to the group. 

“And finally,” the herald continued, “the hosts of the millennium party, the king and queen of Eraklyon, and their son, Prince Sky.” Bloom grinned at him and waved, a lovestruck look on her face. 

“She’s got it bad, huh?” Axel whispered to Musa.

“You have no idea.” 

~~~

Axel, having long since been separated from his friends in the party, stood by the buffet table he’d been eyeing on the way in. He took a glass of wine, tasted it, and immediately crinkled his nose in disgust. 

“I don’t know why I bother getting wine at these things,” He said offhandedly to the man standing near him. “I’ve never had wine I liked.”

“Perhaps you’re just hoping you’ll find one you will,” the stranger mused.

“Maybe.” Axel gave the man a lopsided grin. “Usually I just come to these kinds of parties out of obligation. My one solace is the food,” he half-joked. 

“It is pretty good.” The aura around the man, Axel noted, wasn’t a light pink of happiness like everyone else, but instead a deep green of triumph. It was probably nothing. These events are incredibly guarded, so there was nothing to worry about. Taking his mind off the slight edge of worry the aura gave him was easy, once he realized that  _ holy hell this guy is handsome _ . 

“...ce?” Axel blinked.

“Huh? I-I’m sorry- I wasn’t paying attention,” he said sheepishly. The stranger let out an easy laugh.

“I asked if you wanted to dance.”  _ Oh Fuck yes. _ Axel smiled, trying not to let off  _ too _ much emotion. Didn’t want to scare him off. 

“Alright, but I gotta warn you, I’m not much of a dancer.”

“That’s alright, I prefer to lead anyway.” The stranger offered his hand, and Axel took it.

“Don’t blame me if I end up stepping on your toes,” he joked. “I’ll try my best not to, of course.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Axel felt his heart nearly skip a beat with the stranger’s charming smile. As the fairy of love (and warfare), Axel knew he was prone to get crushes easily, but  _ really _ ?  _ Keep it in your pants, you twink bitch _ , he silently chastised himself.  _ You don’t even know this guy. _

A new song started just as the pair reached the dance floor. Perfect timing. While the dance seemed to come naturally to the stranger, Axel found himself hyper aware of his every motion. He prayed he didn’t mess up. After all, if he was lucky, he could come out of this party with at least someone to kiss on the weekends.    
It wasn’t long before the two had fallen into an easy, comfortable rhythm. Axel had (mostly) managed to avoid stepping on any toes thus far.

“You’re quite the charmer, y’know?” Axel asked   
“So I’ve been told,” the stranger replied smoothly. “You aren’t too bad yourself.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were flirting with me.”

“Maybe I am.” 

“Cute.” Axel tilted his head, a playful half-smile on his lips. “You should’ve told me we were flirting; I would’ve upped my game by now.”

“Oh really? So you treat every stranger at a party like this?”

“Only the handsome ones,” he replied. The stranger let out a soft laugh. He spun Axel around at arm’s length before pulling him close. 

“Good to know. And here I was, thinking I might have to fend off everyone else.”

“And why is that?” 

“So I could keep you here for myself, of course.” The stranger’s thumb brushed the underside of Axel’s jaw.  _ Do NOT say something stupid _ . 

“Hm, sounds interesting.” Axel said casually as he could, hopefully covering up how nervous he was. “You don’t even know my name.”

“Then tell me.”

“Prince Axel, of Bellicamore, at your service.” Had they not been locked in a dance, surrounded by other couples, he would’ve given the stranger a mock bow.

“A prince, hm? At  _ my  _ service?” He smirked, chuckling. “I’m honored.”

“I don’t normally say that, but I don’t particularly mind being at the service of someone like you.” 

“Is that so?” The stranger’s aura shifted from green to a rich gold -- smug. A smirk played on the edges of his lips. Lips that Axel was just now realizing with a slight panic were very pretty and also  _ very close to his _ . “I don’t know if you’d be saying that if you knew who I really was.” Axel felt the world fall away for a moment, only to feel a firm arm around his waist, making him realize he’d been dipped. He couldn’t help but notice the stranger’s face even closer to his.  _ Focus, you gay idiot! Do NOT fuck this up! _

“You’d be surprised,” he breathed, trying so very hard to make eye contact rather than repeatedly glance at the man’s lips. The stranger chuckled. 

“Even if I told you I’’m Baltor?” Axel stiffened. He tried to keep the shock, and admittedly, fear, off his face, but his sudden rigidity didn’t go unnoticed.

_ Well mark me down as scared AND horny! _

The music ended. Baltor looked up towards the band, a hint of a frown on his face. “Ah. This marks the end of our dance, then. It was a bit short for my liking.” He straightened up, pulling Axel to his feet. Baltor bowed with a flourish. “I have a feeling we’ll be meeting again very soon, your highness.” He turned and disappeared into the crowd before Axel could fully process what had just happened.

Royal party or not, Axel booked it off the dance floor with everything he had in him.

~~~

“ _ Flora! _ ” Axel hissed, grabbing her arm. It had taken him several minutes, but he had finally been able to track down at least one of his friends. “Flora, we have a problem!”   
“What’s wrong, Axel? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” 

“Worse. I saw Baltor.”

“Are you sure?” Flora asked, alarmed. “You’ve never fought him before, you could just be mistaken-”

“I’m pretty fuckin’ sure, considering I was just dancing with him!” His lips pressed into a thin line. “... Are we sure he’s evil, though? Because I was literally two steps from making out with him in the hedge maze.”

“Axel, what the FUCK.” Flora’s expression simultaneously read as concerned, scared, and slightest bit disgusted.

“Sorry- I just- Lotta feelings getting mixed up right now. We spent like five minutes flirting real hard before he introduced himself and bailed right after the song ended. Was kinda rude. Kept keeping me in suspense by getting like an INCH away from kissing me and then he DIDN’T.”

“ _ Axel. _ ” 

“Right. Sorry. Have you seen the others? They need to know he’s here. Or at least, he was here.” 

“They’re with Bloom, I think,” Flora replied. “I stepped out to get some air.” 

“Well we gotta go find them,  _ now _ .” Axel said gravely. Flora nodded and took his hand.

“Come on, I’ll lead the way.”

It wasn’t long before the pair had found the rest of their group. But before Axel could say anything, he was silenced by Sky walking up onto the raised platform where he would make his announcement about Bloom. Axel grit his teeth. There wasn’t time for this! 

“Ladies and gentlemen, on this festive day of celebration, my son Sky has an important announcement he’d like to make.” Sky’s father declared. He moved to the side to give Sky the stage.

“I’d like to thank everyone for coming and sharing this great day with us,” he started, “and now I’d like to tell you all about a girl I met. She’s the most beautiful and the most amazing girl in the entire magic dimension!”

“Hey, he really  _ is _ in love,” Brandon commented.

“I want our whole kingdom to know about the girl who I intend to spend the rest of my life with! My friends, without further ado, let me introduce you to the love of my life...” Bloom took a step towards the stage, sensing her cue. “Diaspro!”

Bloom gasped in shock. Axel looked at his friends’ faces as if to confirm that yes, Sky really did just say that. 

“Who the hell is Diaspro?” He whispered to Flora. 

“His ex-girlfriend. We all thought he was over her!” She whispered back. 

Sky walked back down to the ground, opening his arms as some blonde girl Axel sort of recognized flung herself into them. 

“What in the world does Sky think he’s doing?” Timmy asked, to no one in particular. 

“He’s crazy!” Brandon exclaimed.

“Not cool, dude,” mumbled Riven. Bloom took several wobbly steps back, tears streaming down her face. 

“I feel so strange… I feel like I’m gonna fall down…” Stella held onto Bloom’s shoulder to steady her. 

“Hold on, Bloom. There’s gotta be some explanation to this.” 

“Diaspro was his fiancee!” Bloom cried. “He must have realized he’s still in love with her after all… That’s what must’ve happened…” While she spoke, she never took her eyes off the dancing couple. She didn’t even blink. 

“I think we need to hear this from the royal cat himself!” Stella growled. “In fact, I think I’m gonna go over there and get an explanation right now!” 

“Oh I am SO with you.” Everything Axel had planned on telling them was out the window. All he knew now is that Blondie McPretty Boy hurt his friend. Stella shoved a partygoer out of the way with an aggravated “Excuse me!”. Musa, Axel, Layla trailed behind her. If the situation was more lighthearted, Axel might’ve cracked a joke about how fast Stella could go in heels.

“I’m very sorry, but you may not-”

“Freeze!” Stella snarled, snapping her fingers. In an instant, the guard was a living statue, completely unable to move. 

“Unfreeze.” Muse pushed past the guard before he could understand what had happened. “Thank you for letting us by. I think you made the right decision.” 

“I know you did.” Layla said, glaring at the guard and walking past him. Axel didn’t say anything, but glowered at the guard with the presence of one  _ not _ to be messed with. 

Flora, Tecna, and Bloom caught up with them. Bloom was still a wreck, but had mostly stopped crying. Axel wanted to comfort her, but comforting could come later. Now, they needed answers.

He could see this Diaspro girl say murmur something to Sky, but was too far to hear. Whatever she’d said, it set something off in him. Sky’s face twisted in anger as he pointed an accusatory finger at them.

“Guards! Get those witches!” He shouted. Gasps were heard all around the crowd. 

“What’s happening, son?” The king of Eraklyon asked. 

“They’re with Baltor, and they’ve come to attack Eraklyon!” Sky yelled. The winx looked around in panic as guards began to surround them. 

“Sky? What are you talking about?” Bloom wailed. Stella grabbed her arm and pulled her along behind her. 

“Come on!” She cried. Everyone ran into the hedge maze. Axel silently thanked whatever higher powers there may be that he wore sneakers instead of fancy shoes. 

“First Sky disses Bloom, then he calls  _ us _ witches?! He’s gotta be spelled!” Musa barked. 

“The same kind of spell that was used on King Radius at Stella’s party!” Agreed Tecna. 

“So how do we break it?” Axel demanded.

“We don’t know!” 

Axel let out a hiss through grit teeth. He threw a glance behind him. They weren’t losing these guards, not even a little.

“I order you to stop right now!”

“Or else what?!” Stella demanded, shouting over her shoulder. Gemstone missiles started to fly all around them. Axel felt one of them brush his sleeve. 

“Did you  _ have _ to ask him that?” Musa groaned. 

“In here!” Flora urged, tilting her head towards a patch of hedges. “These hedges are friendly! They’ll hide us!” All seven fairies ran faster, sprinting to where Flora had indicated.

“They’re still behind us!” Yelped Bloom.

“Y’know, as much as we don’t wanna hurt these guards, we may have to take ‘em out,” said Musa. 

“Wait a sec, you guys!” Bloom interjected. “Do you remember when Professor Palladium taught us how to use our winx to navigate an unknown environment?”

“Yeah, let’s try that first!” Flora replied. Bloom took the lead. They turned a corner, and Axel could hear the guards’ confusion behind them. He thought they were in the clear. That is, until the guards started to blast through every hedge in their path, quickly catching up with them. “Hey, don’t hurt the plants!” Flora chastised. 

She threw a spell behind her. As soon as it touched ground, vines erupted from the soil and covered the hole in the hedge. Axel heard the lead guard yelp in alarm. 

“Well done, Flora!” Layla said.

“Nature loving fairy: one, destructive soldiers: zero!” Quipped Stella. 

Finally, they had made it out of the hedge maze. It all seemed better, until an arrow flew through the group and into a hedge. They weren’t out of the woods yet.

“Sky?!” Bloom gasped. The prince stood a good thirty feet away, flanked by guards and clutching a bow in his hand. 

“I don’t know how you know my name, witch,” he spat, “but it’s not going to help you!” 

“So we’re supposed to fight Sky now?” Stella gulped. 

“I think we’re gonna have to,” Murmured Layla. 

“Ready?” Sky challenged, drawing back his bow. “‘Cause this is for you witches!” 

“I don’t wanna hurt Sky, but if he fires that thing, I’m gonna let him have it.” Musa growled. 

“Just say the word, y’all. I’ll send him into next Tuesday.” Axel clenched his fists. “I’ve been waitin’ for an opportunity to deck someone.”

“I’ll take care of this.” Layla made her way to the front of the group. Her hair twisted itself into an elaborate style, her clothes changed, and wings sprouted from her back. Enchantix.

Layla formed a ball of energy in her hands and thrust it out in front of her. A huge, translucent purple wall formed where it landed. Sky and his guards started to fire, but none of the arrows could even come close to getting through the wall. “Woah!” Layla exclaimed. “My enchantix power makes this rubber glue spell like a thousand times stronger! If I were you guys, I’d stop firing right now.” An arrow ricocheted off of the wall Layla had made and flew back at Sky, making him yell for his guards to duck.

“Okay guys, let’s book!” Stella cried, turning to sprint back to the ship. 

“You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up in a minute,” mumbled Bloom. Axel watched her go up to the wall, then turned and followed the others. Whatever it was that she had to say, it was personal, and he didn’t want to invade. 

Bloom caught up with them a couple minutes later. Brandon hung out of the entrance to the ship, motioning for them to hurry.

“Come on guys, hurry! Let’s get out of here now!” He called. Out of nowhere, Flora shrieked in pain and fell to the ground. The winx all turned in alarm. Sky had caught up with them, this time on the back of a dragon. 

“Sorry, witches, but nobody’s going anywhere because Eraklyon Airspace is now officially closed!” 

“This twink’s fuckin’ deranged!” Axel screeched. 

“Let’s go,” said Bloom solemnly. “Sky has given us no choice but to fight!” She, Tecna, Stella, Musa, and Axel all transformed, ready for a battle. Axel silently noticed his form looked different than it had before. It was a shame that he didn’t have a chance to really look it over, especially since those open toed shoes he’d always hated were gone.

Stella, Tecna, and Musa picked Flora up and flew her over to the ship and handed her off to Brandon and Riven. 

“We’ll take care of Flora!” Brandon said.

“Hey, I thought that you guys were my friends!” Sky shouted angrily. 

“We are!” Brandon yelled back. “That’s why you should believe us when we say someone put a spell on you that’s making you act like a real jerk!”

“Well, consider our friendship over!” Sky loosed another arrow. It grazed Brandon’s shoulder, but didn’t seem to do any lasting damage.

“Brandon!” Stella cried. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be fine as soon as I get a dragon, get up there, and knock some sense into him!”

Several more dragons filled the sky. Axel grit his teeth.  _ Shit, reinforcements. _

“Timmy!” Called Tecna. “Put Flora on the ship and get ready to take off! We’ll handle this flying lizard brigade!” She waved a hand, getting the attention of both her friends and the dragon riders. Axel flew in close behind Stella and Musa, helping lead the dragons away. He could hear the few people left in the courtyard cry out in fear. 

“I’ll handle this!” Layla announced. She shot off several balls of energy, each one latching onto the mouth of a dragon and forming a muzzle and blinders. One crashed to the ground. 

Bloom flew past, Sky hot on her heels. She suddenly veered upwards, making Sky crash into the building and fall off the dragon. The courtyard was on fire, and getting worse by the second. 

The final dragon plummeted to the ground, quickly getting up without its rider. It was clear the reptile was pissed off beyond belief. 

“Help me!” A desperate cry echoed across the garden. Stella spun around, fear on her face.

“Daddy?!” The angered dragon was approaching him, and fast. Stella shot across the courtyard like a bullet. She blasted the dragon with as much power as she could muster, screaming for it to back off. It collapsed, but only for a moment. As soon as it got back to its feet, it shook off the morphix Layla had put on it. Now being able to see and armed with fire, it had gotten so much more dangerous. 

Stella dodged its furious attacks. She used the staff of Solaria to block what she couldn’t dodge, before shouting an attack of her own.

“SOLARIAN SUNBEAM!” She roared. As strong as the attack was, however, Stella missed, only angering the dragon more. It unleashed a torrent of fire straight at King Radius. “NO! Daddy!” Stella shrieked, diving in front of him. She took the full attack herself, without thinking of anything but saving her father. All Axel could do was watch as she and the dragon both collapsed, weak from the battle. 

Radius picked up his daughter and held her close. Suddenly, bathed in a sea of light, Stella rose. Her form changed. Hair grew longer, wings grew bigger and more colorful. She’d earned her enchantix.

Seeing Stella take off for the ship, everyone rushed inside to take off. She zipped inside just as the ship lifted off the ground. They were all safe, for now.


End file.
